''Wilwarin'' comes from the same root (''wil-'', "fly, float in air") as the name for the Ring of Air, ''[[Vilya]]'', and shares this common root with the Sindarin word ''[[gwilith]]'', "air".<ref name="etym-wil"/>

''Wilwarin'' comes from the same root (''wil-'', "fly, float in air") as the name for the Ring of Air, ''[[Vilya]]'', and shares this common root with the Sindarin word ''[[gwilith]]'', "air".<ref name="etym-wil"/>

Revision as of 00:51, 14 January 2011

Wilwarin was created by the ValaVarda. It was set in the heavens of Arda to welcome and give light to the Elves, who were just waking in Cuiviénen.[1]

J.R.R. Tolkien gave no description of the constellation, nor any counterpart in our modern-day constellations, but Christopher Tolkien suggested that it could be the commonly-known constellation Cassiopeia.[2] Cassiopeia is a plausible candidate for being Wilwarin as its "W"-shape is a reasonable match to that of a butterfly.

Etymology

Wilwarin comes from the same root (wil-, "fly, float in air") as the name for the Ring of Air, Vilya, and shares this common root with the Sindarin word gwilith, "air".[3]

Other versions of the legendarium

In early versions of Tolkien's notes, the name of the constellation is "Vilvarin".[4]

From other published writings, we know of a few other forms of the word wilwarin. The words wilwarindëa and wilwarindië (older Qenya form was wilwarindeën[5]) are the respective singular and plural forms meaning "like a wilwarin or butterfly".[6] We also know of the Qenya form wilwarindon, "as a butterfly".[5]